Here's a beautifully restored Single Action Army Revolver with a serial number that puts its date of manufacture sometime in mid 1876!
We recently purchased this beautiful revolver from an estate and unfortunately have no information about who restored it. So, we'll try to provide as much information as possible to describe this unique revolver as accurately as possible.
While we can't say who restored it, we can say that it has several features common among Colts restored in the '80s and '90s, like the use of some 3rd Generation Colt parts and the fact that the action has been tuned for cowboy action shooting giving the gun an EXTREMELY smooth action and crisp trigger pull.
It also appears as though this gun was never fired after the restoration work was completed; leaving all the finishes in near mint condition. The receiver and hammer both feature beautiful color case hardening with no fading or rust. An early Colt "fouling cut" can be seen in the top strap of the action - a feature found on all pre-1930s Colts, and not reproduced by any of the Italian reproductions. Another early Colt feature is the "v notch" rear sight milled into the top strap. Colt utilized this tyle of sight on all of their guns until the rear sight was widened to a "square notch" in 1931.
The small font, two line patent date found on the left side of the receiver is also correct for a pre 1880 Colt; while the serial number was neatly stamped with Colt font numbers. A correct Colt subinspector's "C" stamp in found in the hammer slot.
The loading gate features a correct assembler's number and the hammer features a large "pre-magnum" firing pin and hand cut checkering.
The barrel appears to be a remarked 3rd Generation piece. It features wide right-hand twist rifling and a large square front sight. The bore is mint with absolutely no rust or pitting. The early style address stamp is correct for an 1876 gun. The cylinder also appears to be of 3rd generation manufacture, but features the last three digits of the serial number; another 1870s feature.
The grips are varnished American walnut which is appropriate for Civilian model SAA's. They are in excellent condition and fit the gun beautifully.
The back strap and trigger guard both feature matching serial numbers. All of the screws are beautifully nitre blued, just like original guns.
The action has been finely tuned with light springs, making the action fast and smooth. This fantastic Colt would be a great choice for a collector who wants a piece of history he can actually shoot!
